A Lake County Jail inmate took the stand Wednesday against former podmate Zachary Weimer.

Patrick Sullivan, who was convicted of trafficking heroin, testified Weimer confided in him about the Eleanor Robertson murder even though he asked him not to.

"He was all over the news. Everybody (at jail) knew him," said Sullivan. "I mostly told Zach to keep his mouth shut. It's a high-profile case and an election year. I thought the crime was a little bit despicable, but I did not know at first whether he was guilty."

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But after Weimer came back from his preliminary hearing in June, Sullivan said he became convinced of his guilt.

Sullivan testified he read in the newspaper and saw on TV that the victim had been stabbed more than 90 times.

"I told him I thought that was a little extreme," the inmate said. "He said, 'It was closer to nine than 90.'"

Sullivan added that Weimer told him the van and murder weapon would never be found.

"I speculated that (the weapon) may have been a screwdriver, and Zach nodded," he said.

But Assistant County Public Defender James Mathews attempted to discredit Sullivan, who was given probation and local jail time instead of a maximum prison sentence of 18 months after he agreed to testify.

Mathews also implied that Sullivan, who once served five years in prison for manslaughter after killing someone while intoxicated in Kentucky, is again trying to get out of prison after his most recent charge -- a probation violation for failure to appear.

Sullivan argued that he actually wants to go to prison, otherwise he'll never kick his heroin habit.

Eleanor Robertson's daughter also testified on the second day of Weimer's murder trial.

Clinton resident Penny Borton began to cry when she talked about going to her 77-year-old mother's Madison Township home June 13 after learning she was missing.

"They (police) would not let me in," said Borton. "So I just basically stood in the driveway for four or five hours waiting, thinking she was going to drive down the street in her van."

Borton later learned the truth -- that her mother's body was actually in her own bedroom, buried under clothing and other items.

Weimer, 23, of Geneva, is accused of stabbing Robertson 94 times and then dousing her body with chemicals in a burglary gone wrong.

Dr. Erica Armstrong of the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office said the victim's wounds were consistent with a screwdriver or similar tool.

Although the victim's van was recently found, the murder weapon still has not been.

Prosecutors are arguing that Weimer was having heroin withdrawals the day of the murder and was desperate for drugs.